For casual fans and hardcore Reuben fans alike, this intimate experience feels as if it’ll be a night to remember. Following the release of his quirky covers album ‘Shuffle’ this summer, Lenman has so many different ways to dazzle us this evening with his wide musical palette.

But first off, we’re treated to half an hour of cathartic noise rock, courtesy of ex-Heck members Haggard Cat. Whilst the two-piece group are less destructive on stage than Heck, front man Matt Reynolds and drummer Tom Marsh are still a true force of nature as they churn out blistering post-hardcore riffs and heavy-handed drum fills. The energy in the room is mostly lukewarm, but the sheer amount of people here to witness their theatrics is admirable. Reynolds takes full advantage of this, finishing ‘American Graffiti’ by crowdsurfing to the very back of the room and onto a ledge, with his guitar surprisingly still intact.

Arriving on stage to gracious applause from his adoring fans, Lenman opens with his version of ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ by The Beatles. If the original is a seminal sonic adventure, Lenman’s cover, by comparison, is more like a cocaine fuelled rollercoaster, especially with the addition of the racing synth loops.

Armed with a few pedals and a war-torn Yamaha guitar, it is blissful to witness Lenman pull off such a big sound with a minimalist set up. Shifting from Reuben classics like ‘Lights Out’ to a funky bass guitar rendition of Cindi Lauper’s ‘She Bop’, the set choice is as emotional as it is playful. At one point, his vocals are drowned out by the audience as the end of ‘All Of England Is A City’ is belted out as loud as humanly possible. In that very moment, memories of early 2000s memories from our youth flash and are brought back to life again.

As well as Lenman being a prolifically solid songwriter, he is thoroughly charming, taking the time to deliver greater context to his songs and constantly assessing the vibe of the room. You feel as if you’re conversing with a long lost schoolmate down the pub as opposed to being at a gig. As he changes over to the acoustic part of the set, he deals with an obnoxious audience member by politely sending him to the back;“I don’t want you getting crushed during the heavy songs mate.” It can be easy for musicians to lose their temper when an audience member causes trouble, however, Lenman deals with the situation through politeness and brevity.

After a delightful selection of soulful acoustic numbers, the pit opens up as Lenman delivers ‘Coda’, a song released by punk outfit Caretaker. Opting for oppressive synths rather than heavy guitar riff overtones, the cut is an unexpected but thoroughly welcomed addition to the evening. Ending on Reuben’s festive hit ‘Christmas Is Awesome’, Matt Reynolds bounds onstage to join in the carnage, reminding us that this is indeed the most wonderful time of the year.

For Jamie Lenman, 2019 might have been a victorious year, but tonight was one of the strongest performances of his entire career.

ASHWIN BHANDARI

There’s a strict no phones policy on the door, compensated for by having the set recorded with multiple cameras dotted around the room. The windows are also boarded up, with a sign telling regular patrons of the bar to ‘fuck off until 8:30’. It’s a unique opportunity for PUP to reconnect with their basement gig roots, shutting us away from the outside world.  They’re even selling merch straight out of their van like the good old days.

Before PUP finally start, frontman Stefan Babcock acknowledges that this is most likely the smallest room they’ve played in a long time – urging us to “get weird”. As anyone who’s seen PUP before, their gutsy live performances make it near impossible for fans to keep still for long.

Opening with ‘Morbid Stuff’ into ‘Kids’, the crowd turns into one sizeable pushpit, with participants throwing themselves off anything they can find with a ledge – a sea of smiling punks giving their all to every second of this intimate frenzy is an incredibly wholesome sight to witness. Babcock himself joins in the fun, launching himself off the end of the bar for ‘Full-Blown Meltdown’, their heaviest song to date. By ‘Free At Last’ the air is a fragrant mix of warm Red Stripe and self-loathing, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

For all the deeply relatable quips that PUP invoke on their albums, the passion is heightened in a tiny bar.  They’ve worked their asses off to make their dream work, continuing to thrive with every release. There’s no egotistical rockstar bullshit here – it feels like you’re supporting friends and family you’ve grown up with your whole life.

Ending on ‘DVP’ and ‘If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You’, you can’t help but wonder if this experience was real, or just a teenage lucid dream before being woken up to go to school the next day.

Nope, that really did just happen.

ASHWIN BHANDARI

Following teaser single ‘Swallowed It’, ‘Not All Men’ has been released on Hell Hath No Fury, with 25% of digital downloads going towards the Solidarity Not Silence Campaign.

The donation marks a good fit for the band, as much of their content was borne of the Me Too movement and looks to empower those who have been abused through the punk scene.

Title track ‘Me Too’ will also be released on the Hell Hath No Fury Solidarity Not Silence Compilation, which sees all proceeds going towards the campaign.

Having been dubbed ‘trashy hardcore’ and ‘the bae collective’, Brazen Hussy bring a much-needed attitude to the hardcore scene that has often been missing.

You can listen to their EP on Bandcamp here.

Sure enough, their passion delivers on this promise. The cosmic fuzzy energy from their debut record ‘Guppy’ was made for a live audience. Guitarist Spencer Fox regularly lifts his guitar over his head during ‘Westermarck’, whilst Hendricks and bassist Dan Shure constantly bounce around face to face like the stage is a hot lava trampoline.

The juxtaposing sweet instrumentation fuels the receptive singalongs to bitter quips like “She’s pro, I’m not that bad though, maybe I’ve gone too far” on ‘Ruby’. It’s a strong way to be welcomed back, however, once the first four songs are over, Charly Bliss shift sonic gears for something far more special. “We’re gonna play our new album front to back, consider this our album release show!” Eva announces tentatively.

Given that most of Charly Bliss’ childhoods are rooted forms of Broadway musical backgrounds, it’s apt that their demeanor for material on ‘Young Enough’ is unapologetically flamboyant. You feel like you’re going to fall into a sugar induced coma just from looking at them, and if that happens to be the case, what a delicious way to go. Smatterings of synth lines glide effortlessly across the room’s speakers, as a snare drum is brought onto the center of the stage for ‘Capacity’.

The band’s energy has both the uplifting choruses of a mainstream pop show and the intimacy of a DIY punk show, fused together to create something as close to unique as you’re likely to find. With that comes the catharsis of dealing with trauma in a safe, wholesome environment. ‘Chatroom’ and ‘Fighting In The Dark’ feel victorious in their nature, making everyone who’s been through scenarios relating to abuse feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel.  It’s also truly heartwarming to see Charly Bliss come out of their alt-rock shells and embrace their love for empowering pop euphoria.

As if hearing ‘Young Enough’ in full wasn’t already enough of a treat, the encore is filled with ‘Guppy’ classics like ‘Q’ and ‘Glitter’ which see the room peak with exuberant energy.  A playful rendition of ‘Mr Brightside’ and thunderous screams for fan favorite ‘Love Me’ rounds the evening off nicely. It’s unlikely that they’ll play a lot of cuts from ‘Guppy’ live given their drastic change in direction, but it doesn’t matter – Charly Bliss are utterly invincible.

ASHWIN BHANDARI

Whilst the show hasn’t sold out, there’s a sizeable amount of fans lining up before doors or fleeing from the cold at various pubs around Camden. The demographic appears to be a fair amount of people who most likely would have been fans since their ‘Colourmeinkindess’ era, rather than hoards of teenage pop-punk bands in maroon 2012 hoodies. Of course, no one really grows out of emo, so it’s nice to see that ‘Beside Myself’ and ‘Promise Everything’ didn’t abandon their roots into a watered down mainstream sound – unlike other artists that have been inspired by them.

Joyce Manor have only been around for a year longer than Basement, but are just as beloved by modern emo and punk rock communities. Their relatable quips about friendship and heartbreak that tug at your heartstrings are even more meaningful in their live shows, and tonight solidifies that on a much bigger stage. Whether it’s the euphoric chorus of Tumblr friendly anthem ‘Constant Headache’  or the wholesome vibes of ‘Heart Tattoo’, they really are the best band to soak in with your friends so you can shout angsty musings back at each other.

There seems to be a consensus with the music press and Joyce Manor fans alike that the quality of each album can wildly vary, but it’s agreed on that their self-titled release has still yet to be topped. Be that as it may, cramming 17 songs into a co-headline slot as Tigers Jaw did two years ago is an impressive feat. Especially since the only time vocalist Barry Johnson and bassist Matt Ebert really address the crowd is to acknowledge that we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving over here, and with that sentiment in mind; “fuck Thanksgiving.” 

On top of that, their guitar licks are memorable and boisterous,  the singalongs are heartwarming, and despite ‘Five Beer Plan’ with its infamous ‘wall of death’ crowd participation being absent from the setlist, ‘Catalina Fight Song’ is a wonderful way to end a set that feels like the time has absolutely flown by whilst we’ve been caught up in all the fun.

After being given a moment to breathe, Basement begin their highly anticipated set with new cuts ‘Disconnect’ and ‘Nothing Left’. Capacity wise the O2 Forum is only a slight step up from Koko and O2 Shepherds Bush, however here it feels like the band is fully making use of the space around them. Guitarists Alex Henrey and Ronan Crix are passionate in their riff delivery,  as well as front man Andrew Fisher interacting as much as possible with the youthful crowd screaming back his every word. 

It’s easy to compare Basement’s seminal sound to the likes of Jimmy Eat World and Nirvana, but ‘Beside Myself’ does far more than simply recycle homages to these bands. Thematically, ‘Be Here Now’ deals with not being able to enjoy the present (ironic considering how many fans took videos during it). ‘Ultraviolet’ is particularly hard-hitting performance wise as it deals with Fisher watching the news of the 2017 London Bridge attack whilst living in America. It would be understandable with other bands for audience members to maybe not be as enthusiastic for newer material, given how highly regarded ‘Colourmeinkindness’  and ‘I Wish I Could Stay Here’ are – however, tonight they are transfixed with everything the Ipswich emos have to offer.

With only a handful of pre-hiatus hits in the set, the brief stripped back number ‘Changing Lanes’ is showcased with lighters and phones filling up the room, solidifying how much Basement gigs unify their fans. This is followed by the noisy Deftones worship anthem ‘Stigmata.’ By this point, there’s more than enough crowd-surfers to keep security busy, and a friendly push pit opens for ‘Promise Everything.’ Tonight was their biggest show to date, and it’s exciting to find out how they can possibly top such a stellar performance.  It’s safe to say that they’re not an ’emo revival’ band anymore; they’ve made it into the legendary status of the genre itself.

ASHWIN BHANDARI

As ‘Mirror Reaper’ was given immense praise from outlets outside of underground metal publications such as AV Club and further exposure through Pitchfork, this brought them a whole new wave of fans. Whilst the Boston Music Rooms isn’t a particularly big venue, tonight is completely sold out, with fans waiting patiently at the very front, ready to experience the nihilistic experience Bell Witch has in store for us.

Once everything is in place, the billowing smoke cascades upon the audience, who passionately cheer and clap, before quickly dissipating into silence. Shreibman keeps lays his head firmly on his snare drum and keeps still, soaking in the desolate journey we are about to embark on.

The atmosphere is perfectly eerie as Desmond rings out the first few notes from his bass, which impressively enough replaces conventional guitar tone. You could cut the introspective tension in the room with a knife, as anticipation builds higher and higher until Shreibman’s drum fills kick in. Never before has a kick drum sounded so powerful and so deliberate with every beat in a live performance.

Further layers of smoke blast out from the stage as the audience soaks in the sluggish, gargantuan riffs alongside the careful but bludgeoning drum fills, each hit more devastating than the last. Both Desmond and Shreibman’s low register, hymn vocals and ghostly shrieks create an almost ritualistic atmosphere, encompassing the mutual catharsis of despair.

Due to the nature of ‘Mirror Reaper’ being a continuous song, unless you’ve memorized most of the album, it can somewhat hard to anticipate when each section has ended. This leaves half of the audience desperate to yell and praise each offering, whilst the other half hiss and shush them, not wanting to be detached from Bell Witch’s hypnotic gaze.

Not to be completely overshadowed by ‘Mirror Reaper’, the second half of their set spills into material from ‘Four Phantoms’, shifting the mood from mournful to unparalleled misery.  Hearing segments of ‘Suffocation, a Drowning II’ in particular now feels like a fitting tribute to Guerra’s passing,  leaving the audience wanting more, but nonetheless a stellar end to a 45-minute set that feels profoundly life-changing in essence.

FEBRUARY
28  LONDON Four Quarters w Beth White

MARCH
01 LEICESTER The Cookie w Fatmate
02 BRISTOL Hydra Bookshop